In the cultural mixing pot that is Hong Kong, there are new exciting dining and drinking concepts popping up all the time, from innovative fine dining and internationally known restaurants coming to the city for the first time to locally-born exploratory fusion. Stay on top of the need-to-knows of the dining scene with our restaurant and bar opening guide.
Bifteck — New Weekend Brunch
Bifteck is Wan Chai’s up-and-coming Japanese-French steakhouse destination, offering premium beef cuts from Japan, the US, Australia, and Belgium. However, this is no ordinary steakhouse; fusion culinary techniques and flavours bring Japanese and French cuisines together in a completely fresh way. Bifteck’s now offering two new menus for weekend brunch and weekday lunch. The four-course “Fête du Bifteck” brunch served on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, comes with two options: Beef or Seafood, both with a gorgeous starter (think beef tartare with caviar or sashimi tartare with Ikura), followed by “Two Ways” A4 Wagyu mini burger or Japanese red crab meat mini burger, a main of Spanish, Australian, and Korean beef or Boston Lobster ravioli, and surprise dessert for HK$598 per person. Add on HK$288 for wine pairings or HK$208 for free-flow Chardonnay and rosé.
The “C’est Délicieux” lunch menu served from Mondays to Fridays (HK$248 per person) is also a hearty four courses long, with choices of Bifteck’s signature beef dishes and the soup of the day.
Bifteck, 23/F, QRE Plaza, 202 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai | +852 2246 8805
Ask for Alonzo — New Summer Menu
The newly launched summer menu at all four Ask for Alonzo locations is designed to transport you to a seaside Italian holiday. Seafood-forward and punctuated by refreshing celery, vermouth, and Southern Italian Scamorza cheese, the four courses are priced at $298. The journey starts with an octopus terrine celery salad, followed by squid ink linguine, then a choice between halibut or a satisfying vegetarian milanese made with breaded eggplant, and ends on a tangy note with vanilla gelato drizzled with strawberry and lemon confit. The spritz series, ‘Ask for No Quarantine’, ‘Ask for Summer’, and ‘Ask for Holiday’ (with prosecco, gin, and Campari bases, respectively) can be added on for just $8 for the first tipple, and then $88 afterwards.
All Ask for Alonzo locations (Happy Valley, Quarry Bay, Sheung Wan, Tai Hang)
Newly opened restaurants
Yucca de Lac
Yucca de Lac was a well-loved Chinese restaurant in Ma Liu Shui with a grand view of Ma On Shan and the sea. In the peak years following its opening in 1963, there were seven international branches, including in Taipei and San Francisco. Famous for featuring in 1960s black and white films, the original restaurant closed in 2005 for real estate redevelopment. The concept has now reopened after nearly two decades at The Peak Galleria, serving Cantonese-Western dishes with a small wine selection. Classics that have returned include the Signature Deep-friend Pigeon with Secret Spice (HK$168) and Sizzling Stuffed Tofu With Minced Pork Jowl Meat (HK$118).
Shop 201 – 202C, 2/F, Peak Galleria, 118 Peak Rd, Central | +852 2638 2883
Ushidoki
At Ushidoki, a wagyu kaiseki restaurant (a traditional multi-course meal that draws from Japanese imperial court cuisine) has soft opened its first Hong Kong location in Manning House. First opened in Singapore in 2015, and recommended in the Singapore Michelin Guide in 2019. Odagyu beef from the seaside city Kagoshima is the star of the show, prepped with multiple cooking styles and a thorough ‘tongue to tail’ concept throughout the lunch and dinner menus (HK$1,300 and HK$2,000 per person, respectively). Odagyu beef is renowned for its melt-in-your-mouth quality, which comes from the cows’ special 12-ingredient feed and stress-free lives. The dining room is cozy and features a central chef’s table that seats just 13.
Shop 2A, 1/F, Manning House, 48 Queen’s Rd Central, Central | +852 2633 8933
La Trattoria by Ikigai Concepts
This is less of a new restaurant, and more of a fun ‘restaurant within a restaurant’ concept by Ikigai Concepts. Chef Kenny Ho of the multi-concept Japanese restaurant (which offers ‘kushiyaki’ skewers, a teppanyaki bar, omakase, and sushi) has created 6 pasta dishes and Japanese-Italian fusion creations under the umbrella of La Trattoria, which has probably sprouted from Chef Kenny’s previous experience at Milan’s Trattoria del Pescatore. These limited edition Italian dishes can be ordered à la carte or in a 3-course lunch or dinner set (HK$198 and HK$498).
Inside Ikigai Concepts, Shop 211, 2/F, Nina Mall 2, Tsuen Wan | +852 2618 2812
Schnitzel & Schnaps
It’s impossible to miss brand new European eatery Schnitzel & Schnaps, its two-level warm verdant facade beckoning commuters from perfect view of the Mid-level escalators. A bar takes up the ground floor, accommodating 75 with a range of authentic German schnaps, beers, and wines. The second level’s dining room is an elegant dining room with abstract art, vintage posters, and long booths made to make you feel like you’re dining at the neighbourhood’s go-to dinner drop-in in Central Europe. The menu’s main characters are predictably the range of schnitzels, a thin shallow-fried cutlet with regional sides. Try the iconic Wiener Schnitzel made from veal with cranberry sauce, which is perfect for pairing with a crisp beer or the Silk Road, a Sichuan pepper schnaps cocktail.
G/F, C Wisdom Centre, 35 Hollywood Rd, Central | +852 2889 1199
The Bayside
The Bayside is one of Hong Kong’s brand new casual brunch and lunch restaurants inside Harbour Grand Kowloon Hotel. Cuisine: Casual Mediterranean with a focus on seafood and tapas. The space: Airy, contemporary chic, with a terrace overlooking the harbour from its excellent location near Whampoa MTR station. Highlighted dishes: Fresh Oysters, Kyoto Cod with honey miso glaze, Dry-aged Wagyu Bavette, and Suckling Pig. The 6,000 sq.ft space is built for special occasions and events, with an open kitchen and open bar pumping out cocktails and house-infused gins.
Shop G1, One Harbourfront, Whampoa Garden, (Adjoining Harbour Grand Kowloon Hotel) | +852 2123 2177
Tandoori Bites
Bringing more authentic Indian food to Sai Ying Pun, which is known more for its emerging café scene than exciting new restaurant concepts, Tandoori Bites opened in late July. Located right next to owner Harry Bisht’s Indian grocery store, Saffron, the highlight of the space has to be the custom-built brick tandoor which gives the food its straight-out-of-auntie’s-kitchen flavour. Try fusion dishes like the Chicken Tikka Naanza with mozzarella baked on fresh naan. Of special note, Tandoori Bites is currently the sole Hong Kong distributor of Godfather Beer, a much-loved beer brand throughout India, and Grover Zampa, a Southern Indian vineyard.
G/F, 178 Queen’s Rd West, Sai Ying Pun | +852 2342 5529 or Whatsapp +852 9139 5464
OOMAKI
When you visit the food court, you want something delicious that will be served up quickly. And being able to carry it as you continue your retail ventures is an added bonus. Enter OOMAKI, a new sushi hand roll restaurant in K11 MUSEA’s Food Playground. Labelled “artisan sushi rolls”, the signature hand rolls series includes the OOMAKI Roll with Hokkaido sea urchin, the Trio Toro Roll with prime, mid, and minced tuna belly, and the Aburi Foie Gras Roll with caramelized brown sugar. There are also ramen, don, bento boxes, and matcha desserts on offer.
Shop 203A, B2/F, Food Playground K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui | +852 3689 8048
G Bar
From the same group behind Gaia Ristorante in Sheung Wan and newly opened OOMAKI, G Bar is an ‘oceanside seafood and cocktail bar’ concept that hit K11 Musea at the beginning of July. Expect cold and warm seafood dishes like the G Bar Supreme Seafood Tower, fresh oysters, and baked seafood platter, along with international offerings like roast chicken with mash and pasta. But what’s really exciting is the cocktail menu. Explorative mixed drinks like the Butterbeer with ginger beer, malt beer, and butterscotch syrup at the food court? Intriguing enough to warrant a visit.
Shop O, B2/F, Food Playground, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui | +852 3689 9072
Bianco & Rosso
Bianco & Rosso calls itself the first “house of vermouth” in Hong Kong. The vermouth bar opened in the last week of July, pairing contemporary European food with the fortified wine which takes its distinct aroma and herbal flavouring from each individual producer’s own recipe. The new restaurant space in Central takes its cue from homey bodegas and neighbourhood bars in the small streets of Spain and Italy. Indeed, vermouth became a popular aperitif starting in Turin in northern Italy. Explore Asian and Italian fusion cocktails like the Organic Honey and Yuzu or “Lychee & Co” with Jamaican milk punch, Cocchi Americano, and lychee foam, paired with humble, deeply flavourful pastas, fish, and meats.
G/F, 29 Gough St, Central | +852 2813 1669
Plaa
We’re ready and raring for ZS Hospitality’s newest Asian restaurant concept, the same people behind Whey, Hansik Goo, and Ying Jee Club. Plaa (meaning ‘fish’ in Thai), which will hold its soft opening on August 5, is a contemporary Thai restaurant with a special focus on seasonally fresh seafood dressed up with bold Thai flavours and spices. A collaboration between Taiwanese chef Richie Lin and Thai chef Ian Kittichai, the tasting menu will feature small bites inspired by street food from the streets of Bangkok, as well as fine dining-esque dishes with the dipping sauces and herbs that are the core of Thai cuisine. The decor takes the seafood theme in stride and is inspired by the ocean.
2/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central | +852 2389 3288
Creo by Brentwood
Creo by Brentwood is a set of new cafés already open in Kowloon Bay and Kennedy Town. Offering locally roasted coffee, artisanal kombucha, breads and pastries, and casual dining that use elements from the businesses around them in order to support the localy supply chain. The Kowloon Bay location is designed to emulate the Chinese element of wood, and features coffee tables and coasters stamped with the name of the type of tree and location it was felled in. The Kennedy Town location is designed with the theme of water, appropriately aligning with the neighbourhood’s staple harbourfront area, and features a mural by artist Zlism.
Kowloon Bay: Shop C2, 1/F, Capital Tower, 38 Wai Yip Street, Kowloon Bay
Kennedy Town: G/F, 40 Forbes Street, Kennedy Town
Tic Tac Room
Hong Kong Jockey Club’s off-course betting centre in Central has gotten a new face, relaunching as a multi-purpose entertainment space with food, board games, Play Station, and lifestyle facilities to complement the betting facilities. Opening on July 5, the 2/F restaurant will serve yōshoku plates (Japanese with Western influences) such as Karaage fried chicken, tonkatsu sandwich, hamburger steak omurice, and silky custard pudding.
2/F, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Stanley St, Central | +852 3586 0368
Porkcentric
When Deadly Rabbit’s founders, Szyniec and Giuliano Dacasto (also behind Ask for Alonzo) saw how much Hongkongers love pork, it resonated with their own European culinary backgrounds where pork is a main ingredient. Porkcentric will offer Central European dishes inspired by the street food of Germany, Hungary, and Poland, among others. The dedicated salameria serves 10-12 types of cold cuts on rotation, with specialties like Slovenian deer salami and boar salami, with hot dishes like the Hungarian pork chop tomahawk and Duroc porterhouse pork steak, which all revolve around the ceiling-mounted beer tanks.
G/F, 98 Tung Lo Wan Road, Tai Hang | +852 9169 0298
HUSO
Opening inside The Pottinger on July 7th, HUSO is a new French-Mediterranean restaurant that will specialize in fine champagne and dishes topped with caviar. Named for the sturgeon breed celebrated for its caviar production, the sensual French-style space will feature art commissioned specially from local artist Yannes Choi Ka Yan, and which celebrate the female form. Priced to be modest and accessible, dishes will be made for extravagant sharing with an emphasis on seafood.
Shop 2, The Pottinger Hotel, 74 Queen’s Rd Central | +852 5801 1280 / 9036 8898
Auor
Chef Edward Voon is opening a fine dining French restaurant in Wan Chai, following on the success of inventive French concept Le Pan. The signature Six Rounds experience (six plates per person, HK$1,680) and Menu Dégustation (eight dishes at HK$1,980 per person) will observe traditional French cooking with Asian ingredients. Auor is named for the moment right before sunset, welcoming diners to spend many a golden hour on a gastronomic journey.
4/F, 88 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai | +852 2866 4888
Matchali
Matchali was born two years go when two cousins, Cara and Laura, decided to bring the superpower green tea powder from a fifth-generation tea farm in Uji, Kyoto to Hong Kong. After successful pop-ups, they’re set to open their first flagship café in Wan Chai with a brand new food menu of breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Expect their signature hand-whisked matcha concoctions, a new coffee menu, refined sugar-free matcha and hojicha soft serve ice cream, and dishes like toast with coconut matcha pistachio and toast with mandarin almond butter.
G/F, No. 5 Moon St, Wan Chai | +852 9880 7661
NEZ Wine Bistro
NEZ Wine Bistro came about as a passion project between wine and chef experts in Hong Kong, meant to be a place where all wine lovers gather to hang out and access hard-to-find boutique wines. Nez means ‘nose’ in French and recalls the sense of smell, one of the two senses essential for fully experiencing wine. The wines are sourced from all over the world to pair with French bistro dishes, the wine list curated by sommelier Victor Petiot who previously lended his talents to Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris and Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Visit NEZ’s new home in H Code, with a moody curtained main dining room reminiscent of a covered wine cellar, which leads out to an intimate second floor terrace.
2/F, The Steps, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central | Call +852 2550 9605 or WhatsApp +852 6315 6134
Sawadee Chef
Ronald Shao of Mian is stepping out of the world of Chinese cuisine and venturing into contemporary Thai with Sawadee Chef. Shao creates twists on traditional Thai dishes with Sichuanese spice and techniques. The daily special set available from 12pm to 5:30pm is priced at a highly accessible $98. You have to try the refreshing shrimp, watermelon, and papaya salad, the grilled whole squid, and the sliced fish in Thai spicy sour soup.
Shop G21-G23 and G25-G27, G/F, Olympian City 2, 18 Hoi Ting Rd, Tai Kok Tsui | +852 2881 8803
BluHouse
Just in time for summer, Bluhouse is a brand new restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui’s Rosewood in June to remind everyone of the sun-drenched eateries lined on Italian streets. Two concepts will make up Bluhouse: the front of the restaurant is a casual environment with an aperitivo counter, pasticerria and gelato counter, and barista corner recalling the neighbourhood lunch spot, while The Dining Room by Bluhouse is made up of a private dining room and wine cellar for more refined dining with a sustainability focus. (They will have a signature reusable BluCup for beverages, work with NGOs to support refugees as well as employing people of ethnic minority groups, and implement a recycling program.) Indeed the opening blurs boundaries between café, restaurant, and bar. Bluhouse opens on June 9, followed by The Dining Room by Bluhouse on June 23.
Rosewood Hong Kong, No. 18, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui | Book online or call +852 3891 8732
Header image credits: Schnitzel & Schnaps
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